This nicely laid-out book gives an overview of American rockabilly legends, underscoring its subtitle “They Called It Rockabilly Long Before They Called It Rock & Roll”. In addition to the six main legends pictured on the cover (Jerry Lee Lewis, Buddy Holly, Elvis, Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash, and Roy Orbison), the text also briefly covers the likes of Gene Vincent, Johnny Horton, and Buddy Knox, among others.
Lavishly illustrated throughout, there are great pictures and reproductions of record sleeves, adverts, and other ephemera, making it great fun to look through. But if you’re a serious rockabilly fan, you’ll wish the text had more to offer, as it never gets much beyond the basics. This is especially frustrating given that one of the co-writers, Jerry Naylor, joined the Crickets after Buddy Holly’s death, and saw many of his book’s legends when they were just starting out. But his reminiscences are just as cursory as the text, when you know a fellow with his pedigree must have plenty of exciting stories to share. The accompanying one-hour DVD is much the same, though there is some terrific performance footage.
